Grab to try new system requiring no cash for riders' food orders –official

Grab Philippines is expected to implement a new system by August this year in which its food delivery riders will no longer have to shell out money to purchase their customers' orders.

During the virtual meeting of the House Committee on Trade and Industry on Thursday, Grab spokesperson Atty. Nicka Hosaka said they will introduce a system where Grab itself will make the advanced payment for the orders of the customers straight to the restaurant, and their riders will only have to pick up the food items.

Currently, Grab food riders pay for the orders of the customers and they will collect the payment once the food items have been delivered.

But, there were instances where customers do not show up once the rider arrives at the address to deliver the food items, hence they could not collect their payments.

"Moving toward August, we will be implementing this model whereby pagdating sa restaurant, the delivery partner will not need to bring out any cash. He will simply pick up the order and the restaurant already receives the payment straight via the app," Hosaka said.

"Ang mangyayari na lang, paghatid niya ng pagkain doon sa [customer], kokolektahin niya ang pera ... and the payment already automatically is credited to the restaurant," she added.

The payments collected by the riders from the customers will be debited from what she called their "electronic wallet," containing an amount of around P1,500 to P2,000, which they have to maintain while delivering orders, Hosaka said.

"This is just their electronic wallet. Yun ang kanilang mine-maintain. Ibig sabihin nun, if they are not able to collect any payment from the customer dahil nga for example nagkaroon ng no-show incident, walang nababawas sa kanilang wallet," she added.

"This wallet that they need to load, or yung tinatawag natin na kailangan nilang i-maintain, ito ay maaari nilang i-cash out anytime," she added.

The House panel was deliberating on House Bill 6958, or the "Food and Grocery Delivery Services Protection Act," which seeks to provide protection to individuals engaged in food and grocery delivery services.

Ako Bicol party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr., who authored the measure, said the bill primarily aims to penalize individuals who will cancel their orders through food and grocery delivery service providers.

"Nais ng panukalang ito na protektahan ang mga rider ng food at delivery services companies katulad nang Grab Food, Lalafood at Food Panda mula sa mga pranksters at mga tao na basta-basta na lamang nagka-cancel ng kanilang order na ang resulta ay ang pagkasayang sa oras at pagkawala nang puhunan nang riders," Garbin said of his measure.

Hosaka said the new system that they will introduce is sort of the "reverse" of the 100% reimbursement system they are currently implementing for orders that were not claimed and paid by their customers.

"What we are just doing is we are sort of now reversing it so that upfront, ang mangyayari, it's already Grab who will advance and 100% of the monetary liability will now be on Grab," she said.

House panel chair Wes Gatchalian commended Grab for the new system they will introduce.

"I'm very happy to hear that. Siguro lahat ng drivers niyo rin are very happy to hear that new system," he said.

At the end of the hearing, the panel decided to create a technical working group to consolidate House Bill 6958 with House Bill 6122, or the proposed "Internet Transactions Act," aimed at regulating the e-commerce industry in the country. —LBG, GMA News